Pulse
by x-SystemRestore
Summary: The cutthroat industry of entertainment. Its all about the fame and glory, but what happens when that suddenly disappears? ModernAU. ZeKi. Slight Zero x Maria and Yume later on.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **_Okay, so I've had this story in my head for a while and originally, I wanted to make it with OCs and make it a completely OC story, but I really wanted to write a VK fanfic that was fully, multi-chaptered that was romance/action centered. I've written several VK oneshots and had several people tell me that they'd love to see more VK stuff from me. So, here it is. _

_This is an AU story, meaning it will be set in another universe than the VK one. They will still be vampires. It's still a Vampire Knight fanfic after all. In addition, it will be modern. From the summary, you should have already guessed it. Zero and Yuuki are in the entertainment business and yes, this fic will be ZeKi. If this still sounds interesting to you, I hope you'll read on. :)_

Many thanks and please enjoy ~

* * *

**Pulse**

_Vampire Knight AU fanfic _

_Chapter 1 - An Actor and Artist_

"PLEASE HELP! SOMEONE - SOMEONE'S BEEN SHOT! PLEASE-"

"Hannah...-"

The girl who was screaming for help was quickly silenced by her lover, who was slumped up against the weathered lamp post. She stared down at him with her softly glowing green eyes, petrified and trembling at the sight of blood flowing out from his wound and slowly running down the wet sidewalk.

He grabbed at her arm weakly, coughing.

"We-We have to stop the bleeding!" Hannah screamed, clasping her hands together and placing it over his gunshot wound, crying harder when the blood began flowing out past her fingers. "No, no, no-"

"Hannah, don't-" he breathed out, grabbing her at arm and gently pulling her hands away from his injury.

"What are you talking about...?" she cried, "we have to find help! We need to-!"

"It's too late," he gasped, coughing out small amounts of blood.

"It's not! I'll go find help! I'll-"

"-just stay with me." His blue eyes looked up at her weakly, his lips forming a slight smile. "Please," he whispered, begging silently with the tightening grip on her arm.

Hannah cried harder, not releasing the pressure she had over his wound on his chest. "Why?" she finally managed to squeak out. "Shane- I don't want to lose you-!"

"I'll still be here," he chuckled, curling a lock of her blond hair around his fingers. "I'll always be here for you, but this time...I won't put you into anymore danger."

"N-No..." the blonde girl cried softly. "I felt safe! I always have been-!"

The dying man shook his head slowly, coughing again, "you will never be safe with me around. Never. Live for both of us, Hannah. Please-" He let out a series of violent coughs, startling her and sending her into a panic.

"Sh-Shane!" She applied more pressure to his wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it seemed to only make his condition worse. He was dying and she knew that it was far too late now for her to call for help.

The man let out his last cough and let his head fall off to the side. "I'll take solace...knowing that you'll be safe now. - I love you, Hannah..."

Hannah shook as she felt the last rise and fall of his chest as he took his last breath. This was truly the end. She sobbed softly, taking her bloodied hands and cupping his face gently. Her fingers brushed aside his inky black bangs, away from his closed eyes.

"Shane...don't leave me," she whispered, pressing her head to his forehead. "Come back," she cried, her body shaking as her tears came forth once more. "Come back," she repeated, running her thumb over his eyelid.

"Annnnd...CUT! That's a wrap! Great job everyone! That's enough filming for the day!"

As soon as the director announced his final call, the whole studio was suddenly immersed in noise and activity. Backstage workers ran around frantically trying to clean up the set, repair broken parts, and prep the stage for the next shoot.

The female actress let out a soft sigh in relief as she pulled herself away from her male colleague. She stood up, dusted herself off, and reached out to lend a helping hand to him. "Need help?" she asked.

"Thanks," he replied, taking her hand.

She helped him up, smiling. "Sorry about earlier. I think I was pressing down on your chest way too hard."

"Don't worry about it," he replied rather stoically. "It's all part of the role. As long as we got a good take, anything is fine."

As the pair walked towards their dressing rooms, the young girl tried harder to strike up a conversation with him. "So, you've been doing this since you were little, weren't you, Zero?"

He didn't answer her.

"I can tell," she continued, "I've only worked on weekly soap operas before this. There are a lot of talented actors, but you're definitely up there. I personally didn't think you could pull off that scene that well since you're usually so cold and not that talkative-"

Zero rested his hand on the doorknob to his dressing room. "I like some privacy after shooting, so could you please leave?"

The female actress placed her hands on her hips, staring at him in disbelief over what he was saying. "Excuse me, I have a name you know. We've been shooting this movie for a week now and you haven't called me by my name at all-"

"-Hannah," he continued, "is the only name that you need."

"-It's Ella!" she fumed.

"Focus on your job," he said bluntly. "Despite what the director said, you aren't impressing me with your acting skills. I've seen better."

"Wha-" Ella stammered unintelligently, in complete shock. "How dare you-!"

"If you act like a professional, I'll treat you and respect you like a professional. Act for the sake of the movie, don't act for the sake of impressing me because I'm not interested in women like you."

Her cheeks flaring red, Ella stood there glaring at him until she finally scoffed loudly and stormed off, ripping off her blond wig before getting to her dressing room.

Zero didn't pay her temper tantrum any mind as he quietly entered his dressing room.

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Kaito asked, a tone of amusement in his voice.

"Kaito..." Zero didn't expect his manager to be in his dressing room. "You heard everything?" he asked, not really sounding that surprised and heading towards the counter.

"The walls here aren't that thick, you know." The brunette plopped himself down on the comfortable couch in the dressing room and sighed as he spread his arms out on the backrest. "She seemed like a nice girl. Although...probably not your type."

"She's as superficial as they come," Zero muttered, taking off his black wig and shaking his head slightly to release his short, silver hair. He used his fingers to brush through his silky locks, attempting to style them back into his usual hairstyle. "All she wants is to be on the headline of every newspaper in this country."

"Typical behavior of actresses, isn't it?" Kaito said, shrugging. "Typical behavior of most everyone in the entertainment business, for that matter." He watched the silver haired man take out his blue color contact lenses. "Still...you're lucky that you're good at acting. I guess even if that Ella girl complains to the director, he's not going to replace you with another actor."

Zero closed the cap to his lens case, saying nothing to his manager.

"But don't pull that crap the next time. Just bear with it. I know half of the people you work with, piss you off, but don't get into a pissing contest with them because of it and lose a good role." Kaito took out his cell phone and let out a tired sigh as he went to look at the schedule for the rest of the day. As he scrolled down the daily planner, he glanced up from his phone, staring at Zero as he walked over to his bag, fishing around for something.

He pulled out a small black case, the contents rattling around inside as he flipped the top open. His hands had just the slightest bit of a tremble in them as several white pills spilled out onto his palm.

Kaito averted his attention back to his phone. "You better be careful and not eat that stuff around the director or other staff. They might think it's drugs. We don't want you to be immersed into a scandal or something."

Zero shoved the pills into his mouth and swallowed harshly, forcing them down his throat. "I already know that," he grumbled.

The brunette watched as Zero shook out more pills from the black container. He raised an eyebrow slightly and commented, "taking a lot more nowadays, aren't you?"

Zero swallowed at least a dozen tablets before he let out a sharp breath and closed the cap of the container. He took a glass of water that was sitting on the table in front of Kaito and chugged it down in one go.

As Zero wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he muttered, "nothing's changed. I always used to take this much."

"Right," Kaito replied with a certain level of skepticism in his voice. "Anyways," he sighed, looking at his phone, "Cross Records wants to meet with you today."

Zero started walking back to the mirror again. "Why? I thought they were a record company." He stopped midway and turned back to Kaito, glaring at him. "Don't tell me you're making me sing now."

"Relax," Kaito waved his hand, "I know you can't sing for shit."

The young man shot his manager an insulted look, which he brushed off.

"Hey, you said it, not me."

Zero rolled his lilac colored eyes as he went back to the mirror. He took a bit of makeup remover cream from a small jar next to him and slathered it on the left side of his neck. He then took a cloth and wiped the cream and makeup off, revealing his black neck tattoo.

It certainly was a pain to have, especially since he was an actor, but it wasn't like he had a choice.

It was for protection. Or so he was told by Toga Yagari, both his and Kaito's boss and owner of the acting agency they worked for, Rose Ltd. He didn't have a clue as to what the tattoo was meant to do or what they meant by "protection."

"Then what does a record company want with me?" he asked as he undressed himself of the costume and wiped off the rest of the fake blood that was used in the scene today.

"Looks like Cross Records needs several guys for a shoot for the cover of an album. Yuuki Kuran, ever heard of her? Her manager wants to scout out a few guys to use on her new album cover."

Zero stopped dressing to respond softly, "I've heard her sometimes on the radio."

"Pretty popular singer, you could say." Kaito let out a soft chuckle as he pushed random spots of his phone screen, deleting and rearranging schedule plans. "Well, I guess I should give her more credit. She's pretty much the poster girl for Cross Records. Sings pretty well too, I have some of her songs on my phone."

"Good to know."

Kaito played one of her songs, to which Zero listened for several seconds. She did have a nice voice, soft, not too high, but not too low...however, he could say that her songs weren't really his cup of tea.

"Well-" Kaito switched off the song. "Better get going. We should get lunch first."

"You sure I don't have to sing?" Zero asked with a level of skepticism, grabbing a pair of sleek black sunglasses and his bag.

"I told you to relax, didn't I? Like I'd pull something like that on you."

Kaito lightly bumped his fist into Zero's cheek, chuckling when the young man shot him a disgruntled glare.

"Just...play nice, okay? You know that a lot of the people at Cross are..."

"-Yeah," Zero quickly cut in, "I know..." His voice dropped off, as he fought to keep his emotions in check. Kaito noticed this and kept his head held facing forward.

"They should be fine. Even though they're vampires...you should be able to get along with them. You _will_ get along with them." Kaito emphasized his last sentence. "It's not just for the job, but it's for your image, Zero. I didn't want to say it, but you're starting to get a bad rep in the industry."

"Thanks."

"It wasn't a compliment," Kaito sighed, taking out his phone again, "but then again, I don't really think you give a damn. Just- play nice with Yuuki at least. She needs to like you in order for you to participate in the shoot. Maybe standing beside a sweet, innocent looking girl like that would boost your image more."

Zero simply let out a little grunt, not liking what he was hearing. He narrowed his lilac colored eyes into a sharp glare as he put on his sunglasses.

Whatever, he thought. It wasn't like a photoshoot was something that would take several days. Just play nice for one day with this Yuuki girl and it'll be over.

Easy.


	2. First Chance

**Pulse **

_Chapter 2 - First Chance_

* * *

He _really _did not want to be here.

Zero kept tapping his feet on the carpeted floor, his lips turned into a scowl and his eyes narrowed into a mean glare.

Kaito quietly nudged the surly actor in the arm. When he got eye contact from him, the brunette raised an eyebrow and whispered under his breath, "at least try to look interested. They'll be here any minute-"

Then, right on cue, the door to the large meeting room opened up, revealing several young men around the same age as Zero.

Immediately they made eye contact with the silver haired man, stopping the conversation that they were having amongst themselves. The one with the golden blond hair widened his crystal blue eyes at the sight of Zero and was the first to try and talk to him.

"I didn't expect such a famous actor at a recording studio."

Zero simply sat there, arms crossed over his chest and eyeing all of the guys that had entered the room. He could just feel a certain..._disgusting_ aura around them, plaguing the room. Vampires - the whole lot of them.

He bit down on the inside of his bottom lip, trying to relieve some of the tension that was building up inside of him.

Kaito noticed Zero's growing uneasiness as he sat next to him. He tightened his lips together and gave the young man a slight kick on his foot underneath the meeting table, silently telling him to loosen up.

"We didn't expect all these famous idols here either!" Kaito exclaimed, putting on his best, warm smile and standing up from the table. "I'm Zero's manager, Kaito. Your chairman actually contacted me asking if Zero could partake in a shoot concerning Miss Kuran's new album. We're quite honored to be here."

"Wow, personal invitation huh?" the blonde man spoke up, tapping a finger on his chin as he continued to eye Zero, who hadn't spoken a word since they arrived.

Zero watched as one of the men, who had been standing in the back, step up forward. He had shoulder length chestnut brown hair, slightly waved and messy, wearing semi-formal clothes and an almost graceful smile on his face.

"Can you talk?" he asked Zero directly, appearing cool as a cucumber on the outside.

Zero raised an eyebrow, not liking how this guy sounded like he was about to toy with him. "I'm an actor. I don't think you need to ask that question if you've been paying any attention to the conversation just now."

He heard the tall, slender man let out a soft chuckle in amusement.

"I've heard actors can be quite moody. I'll just assume that you're just in one of those moods right now, Kiryu. Could I call you that?"

Zero squinted his eyes a little, furrowing his brow at the teasing tone this man had towards him. Was he being serious right now? He was definitely a passive-aggressive asshole, he will give him that.

"You can call me, Kaname. I'm sure you've heard of me," he said smoothly, still giving Zero that sickly sweet smile.

"Right," the silver haired man replied, smirking, "Kuran."

Kaname chuckled again, "so it does seem like you know me."

"I've glanced upon an article in a magazine once about how you're easy with women."

It seemed like Zero finally struck a nerve with the brunette idol. Kaname let out a sharp scoff under his breath and cleared away his bangs, only to have them fall over his eyes again. He tried his best to hide it, but Zero could already tell he rattled him up by the annoyed glance that he shot the silver haired actor.

"Don't know what kind of magazines you read on your free time, Kiryu," Kaname muttered as he took his seat on one of the comfortable leather arm chairs in the room.

Zero didn't answer him.

He could already tell he was on shaky ground with everyone that had just entered, but he did not mind at all. They were vampires. He had no reason to mix in with them other than purely for a job, much less get along with them.

As soon as everyone had gotten settled in, the doors to the meeting room burst open.

"Welcome everyone!" A man with sandy blond hair exclaimed loudly, drawing the whole room's attention to him immediately. He smiled brightly at those that were seated. "I'm Kaien Cross, I'm glad to see a lot of you managed to make it! Most from my record company and..." he trailed off as he laid his gaze on Zero at the far corner of the long table, "some from a different branch of the entertainment industry."

He clapped his hands together. "I hope you are all ready for the audition!"

"We need an audition just be in a photoshoot?" Zero asked, confused.

"Oh, no no," Kaien replied quickly, "we also need to shoot a music video for Yuuki's song, so it would be nice to use the same two boys we pick for the album to be in the music video, no?"

"Two?" the blonde vampire that had spoken to Zero first earlier, asked.

"Yes Aidou, unfortunately we want to portray the song to its fullest extent and the only way we can do that is to use only two of you. It what Yuuki's song is about, the inner torment of being captivated by two lovers!" Kaien dramatically swept his hands through the air and placed one on his forehead.

Zero heard one of the vampires sitting next to him whisper under his breath, "if there's only two spots, I'd rather not waste my time."

Aidou responded to him hastily, "you shouldn't give up so easily Shiki!" he exclaimed, trying to raise his friend's spirits.

Shiki simply shrugged, seeming uninterested in what Kaien had to say next.

Picking up on the fact that many of them already seemed wary and uninterested of the fact that there was an audition, Kaien cleared his throat and announced, "Yuuki would very much like it if all of you gave your very best at the audition!"

To further coax all of the boys in the room to try out, Kaien turned back towards the double door and opened one side, allowing the girl they had been speaking about for all this time to come into the room.

Zero had to admit, she definitely was pretty.

Her long brown hair went all the way down to the gentle curve of her hips as she stood there at one end of the long table. Her small, glossy lips were held together in a warm smile and her dark burgundy red eyes shimmered with a sort of innocence that was really hard to find nowadays.

But all that was hardly enough for him to actually fall head over heels for her.

He reminded himself that was still a vampire...

_"...a Pureblood, at that." _He thought to himself grimly, completely destroying any notion of her being attractive to him with that single thought.

"Hello, everyone," she bowed her head a little, letting her eyes scan over everyone that was seated in the room, "my name's Yuuki Kuran. Thank you so much for showing interest in participating in my new album."

Her eyes met with Zero's, just for a split second, but he quickly looked away. He _seriously_ wanted to leave then be stuck in a room full of vampires, much less participate in furthering the career of a pureblood.

"Well then! Shall we start the auditioning process? We will act out a short scene from the music video we had in mind and Yuuki and I will be the judges!" the chairman clapped his hands together, excited to begin.

* * *

"I can't go?"

"No," Kaito blankly replied, his eyes glued to his phone, not giving any real attention to Zero.

Zero glared at his manager. "And why not?"

"Because," he snapped close his phone and let out a tired sigh, getting worn down by Zero's persistent passive tantrums, "I know you don't really need the money, but like I said, you need help with your image _and_ that attitude of yours."

"And why do you think this of all things would actually help me?"

"I think your hatred of vampires has been clouding your judgement lately and I'm starting to see it affect your work."

"That's just what you think-"

"-Just do the damn audition, Zero. Yagari's the one that told me from the beginning to set up this meeting with Cross Records." Kaito's phone suddenly rang, the bubbly ringtone catching both of their attentions.

Zero glanced down at the phone and watched as Kaito answered it, but before he hit the 'call' button, he shot Zero one last stern look.

"And you better not purposely throw the audition. I'll be watching you."

The silver haired man let out a soft growl under his breath as Kaito walked away. Damn it. Damn it all.

First he gets in an useless argument with his female lead actress in the morning, then he gets dragged to a recording company filled with vampires, and now he has to go through with an audition that he was forced to do.

Great.

Zero leaned his back against the wall behind him, choosing not to mingle with the vampires that had come to audition. He scowled at them, hating the disgusting aura that they all seemed to exude.

His eyes met those of Kaname, who simply flashed him a smile, oozing with sweetness.

Quickly, Zero looked away, already feeling the anger of despise bubbling up his throat. Damn, he hated that bastard the most.

"That was a good attempt, Shiki!"

"Well done, Shiki!" he heard Yuuki's voice from the audition room, happily trying to encourage the young vampire.

Zero saw Shiki promptly leave the room, his face sunken in and his gaze, impassive.

"I...didn't even want to audition," he muttered as Aidou ran up to his side.

"No way! You probably did good already! Who do you think they'll choose if they don't choose you! You're a model! You're a natural at photoshoots!"

"But not at acting in a music video." Shiki sighed tiredly, pulling out a box of chocolate sticks. He dragged his feet and plopped down on one of the pushy red couches, nibbling on the chocolate stick as if he was in a trance.

At least there was some degree of shared feelings that Zero had with someone else.

"Kiryuu? You're next."

Might as well get it over with, or else he would suffer an earful later from Kaito about he didn't try his best and the whole package.

Zero grunted softly as he pushed himself off the wall. He straightened out the thin, dark blue leather jacket he wore, clearing his throat in the process. Well, even if he gets chosen, he could always turn down the offer. Surely Kaito would not force him to do a job he did not want to do. Might as well beat all these vampires in their own territory.

He walked into the bright audition room, shutting the door behind him afterwards.

"Hello," it was Yuuki that greeted him first, smiling sweetly.

"Hi," he replied curtly, walking up to the middle of the room. He made eye contact with both her and the company chairman, who seemed absolutely giddy.

"I understand that you are an actor, Zero. Filmed several hit movies already and some small TV shows here and there...impressive." Kaien clapped his hands together and rested his chin on top of them. "Well, then- shall we get started?"

"What exactly should I be doing?" Zero asked as Yuuki's finger rested on the 'play' button of a small radio.

"As soon as the music starts, Yuuki here will guide you through the scene. It'll be short, so don't worry. We're looking for quality, not quantity."

She pressed the button, playing the song. It started out soft, but crescendoed slowly into a steady beat. She walked up to him and took his hand, causing him to flinch slightly.

"Sorry," replied, giggling innocently, "you're comfortable with love scenes, aren't you? You acted so well in one of your romance movies."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, confusing him.

Was the audition starting or- ?

"_Uhn-!_" Zero grunted as she suddenly pushed him against the wall. Before he could say anything, she grabbed him by the neck and coolly stared at him as she slipped one of her fingers past his lips.

She pushed his head back slightly, exposing his neck slightly as she silenced him with her finger.

His heartbeat quickened, pumping adrenaline through his veins. What the hell was going on? Was she acting? Surely she is, but-

"_Nn-!" _Caught so much off-guard and in shock, Zero tried to tell her to stop, or shoot a look to the chairman to tell him to stop this, but as much as he tried to bring his head down, Yuuki pushed him back into the wall even more.

That's when he felt her soft lips against his neck, causing him to freeze up.

His lilac eyes shot open in a panic as her tongue took swipes across his skin, teasingly. His heart matched the beat of the music. The deafening bass and the dark, sullen lyrics to the song -

He felt extremely vulnerable at the current time.

_"No! Stop!" he heard his younger self crying out for help._

He saw his own blood fall to the ground in front of him, flashbacks playing in his mind as Yuuki licked that one sensitive spot on his neck-

"Stop it!" he suddenly screamed, a tone of pure fear in his voice.

However, as soon as he pushed her away, Yuuki stumbled for a bit, but regained her balance. Immediately she glared at him and moved her hand to slap him across the face.

"Perfect!"

Before her hand could come down, Yuuki stopped herself. Immediately her cold, hard stare softened up into her usual innocence.

"Was it good?" she asked him, running over to the radio to turn off the music.

"Absolutely stunning! There definitely is a reason why he's an actor."

Zero glanced back and forth between the chairman and Yuuki. What exactly was going on? Were auditions usually that intimate? He felt completely violated! He fought to catch his breath as he looked at them in disbelief. These people -

"That raw fear was absolutely brilliant!" Kaien exclaimed, standing up from his seat. "There's no doubt about it. Zero needs to be in this music video as the abused lover."

"E-Excuse me?" he asked, stammering.

"The song is called, _Prisoner," _Yuuki explained, smiling at the silver haired man, "it's about a girl that is torn between two men that love her very much, one dominates her and the other, she dominates. I think you would fit the latter role very well-!"

Before Yuuki could finish, Zero stormed out the room.

"Eh? Z-Zero?" She chased after him.

He pulled open the door so forcibly that it slammed against the wall it swung towards, startling all the other vampires that were still waiting for an audition.

"Wait!" Yuuki called out, chasing after the actor.

Zero let out a frustrated sigh when he reached the elevator and repeatedly pushed the 'down' button, wishing that the elevator would come down faster. He heard her running up to him, breathless.

"Zero- what happened-?"

He gave a dry laugh. "Are you fucking with me right now, pureblood princess?" he said mockingly as he glared at her. "Are you seriously asking me that question?"

"If it's about what happened, I did ask you beforehand if you were comfortable-"

"That wasn't a love scene! That was - totally different!" Zero grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "Don't you dare call yourself a vampire and them just force yourself down on someone else's neck."

"I-I'm sorry! I-!"

The elevator finally arrived at their floor, the bell dinged as the doors opened up.

"I refuse to do the role. This is the last and only time I'll work with you disgusting creatures," Zero growled, storming into the elevator. He hit the door close button and watched as Yuuki gave him a look of concern as the doors closed.

* * *

"Told you I'm not going to let you go from this job."

"Kaito- I'm seriously-!"

"-going to do this role."

Kaito gave Zero a stern look as he turned off his phone. "I don't know what you're being so riled up about. You've done more sexual love scenes than that."

"That's not the point. That scene was anything, but 'loving.'"

"Just because she's a vampire."

Zero didn't say anything, bringing his fist down on the small cafe table to the point where the cups on top of the table rattled.

Sensing Zero's distressed expression, Kaito raised an eyebrow and asked, "is there something you're not telling me?"

"No-"

"Whatever," Kaito brushed it off, "keep acting like a brat all you want, but it ends today. You're taking this job whether you like it or not." He got up from his seat and stretched himself out a bit before grabbing his hot coffee.

"Where are you going?" Zero asked, looking up at his manager through his light gray sunglasses.

"Gotta meet with Kaien Cross. To tell him that you're willing to take the role."

"Kaito-!"

"Don't get lost. You're free for the day."

"Oi! Kaito-!" Zero shouted out after the young man as he walked away. He fell back into his chair as he growled softly. "Fuck-" he cursed silently, running his fingers through his hair once over.

It was quickly turning to night, the daylight retreating behind the tall skyscrapers. Zero sat there until his coffee went cold. He couldn't drink a single sip. There was too much on his mind to even consider the thought of eating.

_"No!" _

He furrowed his brow, closing his eyes to drown out the helpless cries that were ringing inside of his head.

_"I-Ichiru! Yagari-sensei! Someone!" _

_Tears streamed down his round cheeks as he screamed for help, only to be silenced by a slender hand. _

_"Shhh- it'll be okay. I'll be gentle with you." _

He heard that woman's voice loud and clear. Almost too much...

Then- a sharp pain radiated from his neck. The place where she had bitten him.

"AH-!" he screamed, clapping his hand over his neck suddenly and startling most of the cafe's customers that were sitting nearby. Zero briefly heard a soft, startled gasp beside him when he screamed. At first he thought it was from his flashbacks, the voice of his younger self, but when he saw a girl standing beside him, he rested his case.

"U-Uhm, I'm so sorry! Did I startle you?" she asked, her light violet eyes widened in concern.

Zero held his head, sweat gathering and forming a thin layer on his skin. He frowned a little, wrinkling his eyebrows in confusion as he blinked at her several times before he realized that he had dozed off for a brief moment at the cafe table.

"Uh-" he groaned, holding his head and letting his hand trail down to his neck, rubbing the area where he had felt a sharp pain.

"I'm really sorry! You sounded like you were in pain, so I came to check on you." She continued to stare at him with worry,

Zero stared at the petite, small girl that stood over him. "I-I'm fine." He tried to stand up, but immediately stumbled, much to his chagrin.

She quickly attempted to help him stand up. "Should I escort you to the hospital? It's not very far-!"

"I'm fine," he stubbornly argued again, trying to take one step before stumbling again.

The soft-spoken girl pursed her small lips together and grabbed one of his arms, slinging it over her shoulder as she helped him walk. "At least let me take you to your house. I can't just leave you to go alone in this condition."

Zero looked down at the lavender color haired girl with weakly drooping eyes. His body felt like it was getting weaker with each step, but he didn't want to create such a difficult situation for him and for her by simply fainting right there on the spot.

They didn't say a word to each other until they reached the apartment complex where he lived.

"Ah-" she said in response to seeing an intercom system beside the door. She looked at Zero, who's head was hanging down limply. "I-I think -"

Before she could finish her sentence, Zero mustered up his remaining strength and pushed the red intercom button.

"It's me, Kiryuu."

The door soon buzzed open.

"What floor is your apartment on?" she asked, going to the elevators.

"Seventh," he breathed out, barely audible.

The girl managed to call an elevator and get him inside. She continuously glanced at Zero, worried about his condition. "Are you sure you'll be okay...?"

"Mm-" he simply murmured, his head spinning and his focus leaving him, causing him to lose the ability to form coherent sentences.

"K-Kiryuu, right?" she asked, as the elevator finally arrived at his floor. "I- uhm - I saw your tattoo earlier, but I wasn't really sure if it was you. I greatly admire you for your acting skills... I want to someday be as good of an actor as you!" she said, trying to create some light talk.

She was guided towards the apartment where he lived and she saw him struggling to fish the key card out from his wallet.

"I-I'll get it! Please don't strain yourself!" she reached out and blushed a little as she dug her hands into his pockets, taking out his wallet.

Zero could barely hear the soft beep of the lock as it recognized his card, granting them access to the suite.

"I'll get you to your bed, okay?" She hurriedly tried to get him down to rest.

"Your name...is Maria...right?" he whispered, as she set him down on his bed.

She blushed and nodded quickly. "How do you know me?"

"I think I've seen you around a few times at the studio." Zero let his head fall slightly due to fatigue, but he managed to mutter a soft, "thank you," to her.

Maria smiled at him and nodded, feeling a light, fluttering feeling growing in her stomach. "Always happy to help. If you don't need anything else, I'll take my leave then. Please take care, Kiryuu-kun."

"Just call me 'Zero'. You don't really need to be that formal with me."

She widened her eyes, surprised that he was allowing her to call him by just his first name so soon. "O-Of course! Well then -" Maria gave a little bow and quickly left the room, allowing Zero to recover on his own.

Once he heard the soft click of the front door, signalling that she had left, he fell back onto the soft sheets of his bed.

Zero groaned at the pulsating headache he had. All because of that damned nightmare...why was he continuously reminded of that and what happened?

"Shit," he whispered under his breath as he placed his hands on top of his eyes. He thought back to the audition and how that Yuuki girl pushed him way too hard. She had crossed the line and there she was, still hiding behind such an innocent smile as if she had done nothing wrong.

"Fucking purebloods..."

* * *

**A/N** _Thank you very much to XCheckerXBoArdXReTaRdX for your review! _

_Please do leave a review if you want more! It's how I know how many people want more chapters and how frequently I should update this fic! _


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